Friday, April 11, 2008

Melissa's Bridal Shower Treats




My sister Melissa is getting married to a wonderful guy. She is actually my step-sister because my dad married her mom. I got the best deal out of that union. I have a wonderful "other" mom and grandma to my kids, the little brother I didn't get as a child and a second sister. I don't think of them as step-anything - I am truly grateful that they are in my life.

So in honor of her impending nuptials we are gathering together this weekend to celebrate and I made her these. A found this video tutorial on a website by Angie Kennedy Juda called Chic n'Scratch. http://chicnscratch.typepad.com/chic_n_scratch/2008/01/ghirardelli-c-1.html




Melissa's wedding colors are brown, green, cream and pink. The only thing I did differently was to add some glue dots to make sure the chocolates stayed securely inside the holder and changed up the ribbon to use the pink grosgrain I had on hand and the Certainly Celery grosgrain as well as the Chocolate grosgrain from the tutorial. Otherwise everything is exactly the same. This is called a CASE = Copy and Share Everything. For more stamping/paper crafting acronyms click here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4947


Ca$h Math

This morning my DH traded me my small bills (a grand total of $41) for his $100 bill. He is always generous with the cash he has on hand and I appreciate that. He likes to keep a small roll in his pocket - not like a dope roll, but just a couple of big bills and coffee change - he calls it his walkin' around money. His friend Curt always told him it was hard to feel really bad if you had a C note in your pocket so DH adopted that practice. Before I married him I almost never had cash in my wallet. I always relied on my bank card. But I have found that it IS nice to have some cash and you do feel okay (well, not about everything) if you have a $20 on hand. So I scrounged through my purse, less cluttered for the purse game post from the other day, kept the money I owe to a friend and gave him the rest. I had made a $59 profit before it was even 9:00 in the morning. He always says, "It takes money to make money."

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Wake Up Mommy!

"Mommy, my bottom is cold."

I am snuggled down under my cozy comforter cover, velour blanket and flannel sheets, fighting off waking up for just a minute more. You know the second your feet hit the ground it is going to be a dead run until you lay down again. I am breastfeeding the little one because he is the early riser among the three of us and the one that needs the most supervision when up and around. I am actually kind of warm next to the baby and under all the bedding so I can't figure out why her butt would be cold.

It hasn't dawned on me yet.

I ask her if she would like to cuddle up next to me under my blankets and she snuggles right in. So I finish with the baby, roll over and wrap my arms around her. She tolerates that for a minute before she needs to be free. Some days I feel like I don't hug my kids enough. Once you get up you are always moving. We usually just don't stop for a hug in the middle of the grocery store, you know what I mean?

So she scoots over and I starts squeezing her little limbs and tushy because I find her adorable. And her bottom IS cold. So I start investigating. Up her back and down her legs are cold as well. With just a hint of wetness. I put my glasses on so I can further inspect my bed, my SANCTUARY.

Let me just pause to tell you a couple of things. About two weeks ago my daughter was playing with my glasses which were in the bed on my pillow to keep them safe from the baby. He loves glasses and I was afraid he was going to break them. So they were up in the safety zone while he was wondering back and forth between the bedroom where I was and the living room where Daddy was sitting drinking his coffee. This is an unfortunate time to be a little kid in my household as both parents are engaged in activities that are not conducive to play by young children. Mommy is still trying to sleep - after all, I am the one who gets up and attends to all needs in the middle of the night. Daddy is drinking his Coffee, his most prized time of the day. He gets to relax and think and dream on his next venture, after all he is on a dead run the minute he leaves the house. Neither one of us protects the other one's special time.

Anyway, my daughter is with me chatting away about glasses when I hear "SNAP!" Not a good sign. I am so near-sighted that I need my glasses to fully see the condition of my glasses so I sit up and take a peek. Yep, they're broken. They now look like Opera Glasses. There is one side which I can still stuck behind one ear but the other piece is there on the bed. My glasses are thick so they need both sides to hold them on my face properly. And the frames were so cute - little thin wire ones that cannot be glued or even taped together. And one of these days when money is not so tight I will head right into the Doctor's Office to get a new pair. Until then I will wear them as is. Broken.

My bed is my sanctuary. It is a further extension of a no-shoe house. I want clean things in my bed. No clothes that have been to the outside world are allowed in my bed. I change the kids and myself into bed clothes when it is nap time. Today at the gym's Kids' Club some little boy came out of the bathroom without washing his hands. I know because I was right outside the door putting on coats when I heard his transaction. And off he went to go play. That is how things go. They just don't need to go in my bed. I take it so far that if we go to eat Mexican (my favorite) or similar dining experience I toss my kids in the bath before we get into bed. I don't like the smell of Food in my bed. I even close the door when I am cooking so kitchen smells stay in the other part of the house. Anal retentive, I know. But I like to get into a bed that is clean when I am clean. I sleep better that way.

So there is pee in my bed. And this is pee that occurred some time in the night because there is little wetness left to touch. But the smell is still there. Which means that everything has to come off my bed and the down comforter has to head to the dry cleaners. Spring cleaning has begun!

It's my fault. I knew I should have run her to the bathroom one more time. It had seemed like she had just gone poop so I didn't bother. And she was all zipped up in one those pajamas that have the feet so to sit her on the potty basically means to undress her and redress her all over again. I remember trying to catalog how much she had actually consumed in liquids as I was debating about it. Apparently more than I thought. She still has plenty left for our morning ritual of the potty dance.

So, comforter is at the dry cleaners and maybe I'll get it back on Monday or Tuesday of next week. Which is a bummer because both my husband and I sleep better with the weight of the comforter over the top of us. We got it at the Bon Marche about 5 years ago. The sales lady was explaining the differences in the weights of the comforters and making her recommendations. The one we chose was going to keep us plenty warm, she warned us. She actually suggested the one up from the one we had chosen, but is seemed like it didn't have enough down in it. Boy, was she right. It was winter and we were sweltering. Eventually, we acclimated to our comforter and it has been fine ever since. And we miss it when it is gone.

It is 2:30 p.m. and I am still doing laundry from this morning's misadventure.

You know, you should NEVER ignore that little voice. I'm not talking about the one that is telling you her butt is cold (and don't ignore that one either), but the one in your head that reminds you to do stuff. A stitch in time saves nine. Ain't that the truth!

Monday, April 7, 2008

The Purse Game

Have you ever played this game at a bridal shower? It's the one where you dump out your purse and you get points for certain things. Here is what is in my yellow and black Beijo purse:
  1. Wallet #1, supposed to be for check book but it doesn't fit
  2. Wallet #2, just for credit cards and ID
  3. Packet of Kleenex, opened
  4. Wrigley's 5, new gum product, unopened - don't even know if it tastes good!
  5. Check book & register
  6. Stila lipstick "Jo" (red, from my wedding)
  7. Bloom lip gloss "Cutie Pie" kinda dark pink & is the YUMMIEST!
  8. Mary Kay Signature eyeliner pencil "Amethyst" sample
  9. Chapstick "Peppermint"Aquaphor Healing Ointment sample
  10. 2 Carefee mini pads
  11. 1 Kotex Ultra Thin Ultra Compact pad
  12. 1 o.b.
  13. Cowgirl Chocolates "Spicy Orange Espresso" (dark chocolate) for a real emergency
  14. Mini key chain ProMariner flashlight
  15. L's BD gift card :)~
  16. Broken zipper pull from purse (need to find some pliers)
  17. 7 receipts (grocery store, Starbucks, scrapbook store, used book store)
  18. Empty Red Starbucks Mitten to hold gift card which some little purse bandit misplaced today (Grrrrr!)
  19. And the Pièce de résistance: Frigo Cheese Head String Cheese, unopened, put in there a little over a week ago now, I believe

What's in Yer Wallet?

News Flash: Men Create More Housework for Women


(cue special music for breaking news story)



Having a husband creates an extra seven hours of housework each week for women, according to a new study. For men, tying the knot saves an hour of weekly chores.

Yeah... remember when you were dating and your boyfriend was SO helpful around the place? Mine never let me do the dishes and I FELL FOR IT! I grew up in a household where my mom did all the kitchen work and my dad was truly proud of himself if he carried his dish to the counter, near the dishwasher. Then he retired to the couch, you know, because he was tired after a long day's work. It bugged the hell out of me. She worked a full day too but somehow it was fine that he didn't have to help. So this was so important to me in choosing a mate - someone who shared in the chores around the house and didn't expect anyone to clean up after him.


Apparently it is true that you will live in a situation similar to your up-bringing so you fall right back to your old familial patterns.

"It's a well-known pattern," said lead researcher Frank Stafford, an economist at University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. "Men tend to work more outside the home, while women take on more of the household labor."
I wonder what would happen if I went back to work full time?

He points out individual differences among households exist. But in general, marriage means more housework for women and less for men. "And the situation gets worse for women when they have children," Stafford said.
Having kids boosts house chores even further. With more than three kids, for instance, wives took on more of the extra work, clocking about 28 hours a week compared with husbands' 10 hours.
Try adding two small children and two teenagers whose Dad doesn't want them to do chores. (I can't really explain why this is the way it is, but they aren't required to do anything and I am not supposed to ask them.) Do you think they are going to volunteer?
So, I am building my OWN character and those of my little children by raising them to contribute to their household and smile while doing it. :D
I found that card the other day at a store. I laughed so hard I had tears running down my face. I thought the timing of the news story was great since that card had been on my mind for a week now.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Lost my passport to normalcy

Yesterday, one of my good friends and I were headed off to our Investor's Club meeting along with my two kids. I don't like to bring them to the meeting but yesterday I used up my "kid-watching coupon" with their dad in the morning. (He thinks it is my job... I think he is their dad.) I used him as a last resort too, because I know what a cramp it puts in his schedule. But since his older daughter had agreed to do it but then decided to spend the night at her mom's house I figured he needed to deal with her flakiness, not me.
I had my Annual - you know, the one with the stirrups and I can't supervise the children very well from that position. Never mind how weird that experience might be for all of us. Plus I can here the retelling of it in the line at the bank. "Mommy, why was that man ....." or "What holds that metal thingy in there?" I have to say, I have no idea about that one, nor do I think I want to know.
One of the last appointments I brought both kids to was Cole's 9 month check up. Ryan was having difficulty listening... or is it I was having difficulty getting my point across to her? about not climbing on the exam table. The doctor told me she was going to step out of the room so I could have a parenting moment. Yeah, something shrivelled up inside of me at that moment. Anywhoo, I decided after that appointment I would see if I could lessen the number of attendants.
Sooooo, I had to bring them along to my meeting last night. My friend is really great with my kids and I think they look forward to seeing her as much as I do. I told her how much I appreciate her helpfulness with them, too. We had to stop at the store which means unstrapping the two from their car seats and lugging them inside. Never a quick stop when you have to do that. But she is a trooper and gets right in there to do it. When my kids were newborns it was always nice to have someone along to help carry stuff - newborns need a lot of stuff like 30 diapers and 25 changes of clothing just in case you get a couple of poops up the back, plus a couple of shirts for me for when they whoops all over your shoulder. That is not even all of it. I called those people my baby-Sherpas. Life savers.
It is funny to see the differences between my girlfriends and my family. The other night our family gathered for dinner; we all came in separate cars. Daddy and big brother (J) had come directly from a baseball game, big sister (M) came with her boyfriend and Storm Holt arrived in the Yukon. My husband left earlier than the rest of us so he could take J to batting practice. The rest of us finished dinner and then it was time to leave. The little ones were obviously squirmy and getting tired. M and her boyfriend left as I was leaving but offered no help getting us to the car. Mind you I am carrying all the leftovers to go in our fridge, the baby and trying to hold Ryan's hand so that we are careful as we leave the restaurant and make our way through the parking lot to our vehicle. I can do it, but if the situations were reversed I would have offered help. Same thing happened with J when I took him to batting practice yesterday. He just climbs in the car and sits there while I put the two kids and my stuff in the car, open the garage to put his bike away, pick up the recycling can which is laying the street, drag it back to the garage and lock the door to the house. Ummm, HELLO?
The entire car ride home, Ryan fed my friend and I a running commentary on boogers and poop. Not that it wasn't fodder for further conversation between my friend and I. But you know you have lost your passport to normalcy when you just accept these topics as regular conversation.
To quote the Talking Heads and their song Once In a Lifetime: And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile ....And you may ask yourself-well...how did I get here?

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

With this ring....

Do you take your wedding ring off? Is that a sin? Not one of the Big Ten, but a no-no in your marriage. I think it has to do with intent. I take mine off a couple of times during the day. I'll remove it when I am doing dishes and kitchen clean-up. I usually where those yellow gloves to protect my hands because I have sensitive skin, but I am in and out of the sink so much that sometimes I don't, or the gloves are sweaty on the inside and need a break from KP duty. My skin is sensitive enough that too much water/washing during the day gives me a rash of little red itchy bumps. The same kind of rash that I will get under my ring if I wear it while cleaning. My finger has even begun to smell under there like rotten kitchen sink sponge if I don't take my ring off to let it air dry. And no part of the body should smell that way. Ever. I have a beautiful ring; wide band, tension mount, platinum, and I love it. Part of my problem is that it was sized for a smaller me, the me before two kids. There isn't much room under there and if I am swelled up even a little, for any number of reasons (salt, sugar, exercise, overheating, cramps, whatever...) it gets tight. Uncomfortably tight. I had to take it off after about the 6th month of each pregnancy because I didn't want to have it or my finger cut off. And after a couple of months after the kids were born I was able to put it back on again, relieved.

I am back at the gym trying to get closer to my pre-pregnancy size. I do step classes two times a week and my hands always get puffy when I am exercising. I don't like the way the constriction feels, like my finger is choking. So I leave it in a safe place where I know I will find it again when I am ready to put it back on. Anyway, I am hoping that in a couple of weeks of proper eating and exercising that this is no longer an issue.

I don't feel different when I have my ring off. I am not free. Or searching for something. Married is married whether I am wearing my ring or not. I love my husband and want to stay married to the father of my children. And on the flip side of that, I don't think I would get married again, unless I found someone who could do their own dishes.